Spring-heel



"(No Model.) '0. H. MARTIN.

SPRING HEEL. y

No. 354,986. 'Panted Deo. 28, 1886.

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CHARLES H. MARTIN, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

SPRING-HEEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 354,986, dated December 28, 1886.

Application filed September 24, 1886. Serial No.2l4A09. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLns H. MARTIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 'in Spring- Heels; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide a spring-heel for boots and shoes which shall be so simple in construction and economical in cost that it may be produced and applied atVV an expense but little if any greater lthan that incident to the` manufacture and attachment of solid heels, thus removing a serious obj ection which has heretofore prevented this class of heels from coming into general use.

It has been found in practice that spring or yielding heels are very comfortable to wear and are a great relief to the muscles in walking. It will of course be understood that the spring or springs should be sufficiently rm to sustain ordinary weights, yielding slightly as the weight is applied.

In practice I propose to regulate the strength of the springs to correspond with the size of `the shoes-that is to say, in large heavy shoes heavier springs will be used than in small and light shoes. In order` to produce a heel of this class which shall be pleasant and easy to wear and practically impossible to get out of repair, while at the same time its cost shall be so slight as to be no bar to its general introduction, I have devised the novel construction of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, similar numbers denoting the same parts in all the figures. 'i

Figure l is aview partially in elevation and partially in longitudinal section, illustrating the general construction of my improved heel and showing it ready for use; Fig. 2, a horizontal section on the line w w looking down; Fig. 3, an inverted plan view of a heel, showing the manner of applying a bottom-lift of leather; and Figs. 4 and 5 are views corresponding substantially with Fig. 1, and illustrating slight changes in the details ofv construction.

4as indicated in Fig. 4.

lis the counter of a shoe; 2, the sole, and 3 the heel. The heel itself is non-yielding, is provided with a central recess, 4, and may b e made of any suitable material-as, for example, metal, wood, or vulcanized fiber-as indicated in Figs. l, 2, and 5, or of layers of leather,

5 denotes springs, which are placed within the heel and attached to Ythe bottom thereof, the other ends of the springs being attached to the sole or to a false heel secured upon the sole, as in Fig. l. The springs may of course be attached in any suitable manner, screws being the simplest manner of all, and shown inthe drawings. used, from one upward. Likewise, any pre- Any number of springs may be' ferred form of spring may be adopted, as may. I

suit the convenience or taste of the manufacturer. In Fig. l I have shown U-springs as applied; in Fig. 4 an S-spring, and in Fig.,5

a coil-spring. y

In attaching my improved heels to boots and shoes sufficient space is left between the heel and the sole to allow ample movement of the heel as it yields to the weight of the wearer in walking or standing'. In order to cover this opening, I provide a spring-guard, 7, which may be made perfectly plain or given auffornamental appearance, as indicated in Fig. 1. The guard may be attached either to the heel, as in Figs. l and 4, or to the counter or soleof the shoe itself, as indicated in Fig. 5. This guard maybe made of any elastic materialfor example, metal, very stiff leather, or vulcanized fiber-it being of course essential that it should have sufficient elasticity to cause it to press firmly against the edge of the sole in use. This guard is lined with a layer, 8, of

felt or other soft material, whereby the por-v sole, and may be placed either inside of recess 4or outside of the heel, and acts to effect- IOO ' the action of the springs.

ually prevent the entrance ofI dirt into the recess, which would seriously interfere with The springguard and guard-strip may be secured in place in any suitable manner, as by cementing or by riveting, as shown in the drawings, or the springguard may he lasted in, as shown in Fig. 5.V

In assembling, the springs are first secured in the heels, then the upper' ends are secured to the sole or false heel by springing the heel outward, to permit the screws to be turned into place; or, if preferred, holes may be made Vthrough the heel,\vhich will be covered bythe bottom-lift 9.

In Fig. 5, 13 denotes a steel slug, a number `of which are placed in the casting to prevent it from wearing away.

It will of course be understood that the details of construction may be varied greatly Without departing from the spiritof myinven tion.

I claim- 1. A heel having an internal recess and one or more springs secured in said recess and to the sole, in combination with a spring-guard having a lining of felt or its equivalent attached to the heel or sole and sliding'freely over the other part, thus covering the opening and excluding dirt.

2. A heel having au internal recess and one or more springs secured in said recess and to the sole, in combination with a spring-guard having a lining'of felt or its equivalent,which is attached to the heel and slides freely over the edge of the sole, and a guard-strip, 12, attached to the sole in front of the heel and sliding freely over it, as and for the purpose set i forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES H.- MARTIN.

Witnesses:

A. M. Woos'rnn, C. E. RUGGLns. 

